As night settled again over the Blood Moon Continent, the cave glowed with the soft red luminescence of Slaughtered Moon Qi. Xuan Qing quietly stirred the evening meal, Meng Jueyan sorted herbs with steady hands, and Han Yu reviewed his next puppet manual.
For the first time in months, the quiet around him felt less heavy. Almost calm.
Almost.
But Han Yu knew calm never lasted long in the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect. The month of peace that passed only meant the next storm would come soon.
And sure enough, Han Yu had just finished sorting the last of the herbs with Meng Jueyan when it happened.
KNOCK
A sudden, firm knock struck the cave door.
He froze.
Xuan Qing did not react beyond turning her blank eyes toward the entrance. Meng Jueyan stiffened, her fingers tightening around the mortar she held. Han Yu slowly set aside the dried Red Gooseberry stems and straightened.
No one ever came here.
